


A Little Sore

by arsenicarose



Series: Dr. Spencer Reid: Drabbles, Fluff, Short Fics, and More [8]
Category: Criminal Minds, Spencer Reid - Fandom
Genre: Cuddles, Cuddly!Spence, F/M, M/M, Massage, Reader-Insert, Sleepy!Spence, Unsub chase and capture, gender neutral reader
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-27
Updated: 2017-06-27
Packaged: 2018-11-19 22:26:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11322966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arsenicarose/pseuds/arsenicarose
Summary: Taking down the unsub has left you a little sore, and Spencer offers to help.Stand alone fanfic in a series of stand alone fanfics.Please feel free to make requests in the comments. :)





	A Little Sore

“Freeze!” you shout, pointing your gun at the unknown subject.

The unsub immediately runs away. You sigh, but chase after him. He is cutting corners and dodging walls expertly, and you are trying to have the same grace. You are normally good at avoiding collision, but this is his lair, and he knows it better than you.

At one particularly sharp zigzag, your left shoulder slams into the wall. You are sent spinning at the impact, but thankfully don’t fall. You resume your pursuit without a second thought, besides maybe cursing your sudden bout of clumsiness.

Spencer and Morgan are right behind you, keeping a relatively good pace. You want it more though. You want to catch this unsub. You are relatively new, and he has been targeting people who look just like you. The past week has been disconcerting and frustrating, watching a trail of dead people, who look just like you, without being able to find the person who did it.

The unsub finds himself at a dead end. He tries to faint left so that he can slip past you, but you see his true direction by following his line of sight. You slam into him with your left shoulder, and he falls to the ground.

You notice the soreness now, but you try not to think about it as you arrest the man beneath you. The satisfaction squashes the pain in your shoulder, and you relish in the capture. The unsub notices what you look like, and an unsettling grin spreads across his face. You are thankful you have handcuffs and a gun.

“I should have gotten you too. You would have been a fine addition to my collection,” the unsub whispers.

“Shut up,” you hiss, hoping no one else heard, “You have the right to remain silent…”

As you finish reading him his Miranda rights, you shove him in the back of a waiting FBI van, perhaps with more force than necessary. Then, you slam the door shut on his sneering face.

With the door as a barrier, you feel a little better. You allow yourself a calming breath, trying to steady yourself.

“Hey, Y/N, you alright?” Morgan asks.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. Just tired. Glad we finally got this guy.” You give your most convincing smile, before turning toward your own FBI van. Thankfully, they weren’t making you ride with the unsub to the station.

You hear hurried footsteps behind you, and Spencer catches up with you, easily matching your stride with long legs. “Hey, Y/N.”

“Hey.”

“Seriously though, are you alright? I heard what he said. That must have been hard to hear.”

Suddenly, you truly are tired. The weight of everything comes settling on your already sore shoulders. You roll your arms, trying to loosen them, and ignore Spencer’s question.

“Come on, Y/N. You can trust me.”

“I know that, Spencer. I’m fine, like I said. I’m just tired. I appreciate you checking in though.” Another forced smile, another attempt to make them drop it.

“Okay…” he replies.

You can tell he doesn’t believe you, but you don’t care. You slide in the car’s backseat, and rest your head on the window. Spencer slides in next to you without a word. Morgan and Rossi sit up front, immediately discussing the final details of the case and their plans for the time off they will hopefully get.

As the adrenaline from a successful capture leaks out of you, you feel yourself start to spiral. You shoulder is throbbing from the double impact, and you can’t get what the unsub said out of your mind. You had hoped he wouldn’t notice that you were exactly his type. It took some of the fun out of the capture.

It also left you a little scared. He was in custody now, but there are other unsubs. Enough that you could be another unsubs specific type. They could grab you at a club or grab you on your way home. Hell, they could break into your house and take you there. They could-

You lift your head from the glass and shake it. This line of thinking is not helpful. It is too late to go home tonight anyway. You would probably get one more night in the secured hotel, surrounded by agents. Those fears could wait until you got home. Or, preferably, they could disappear and never come back.

You can tell Spencer is watching you through this entire process. You try to keep your “micro-expressions” contained so that he doesn’t see what is going on, but you know it is useless. You are probably favoring your shoulder, and wild panic doesn’t hide easily.

The car has barely stopped when you jump out. Morgan calls something after you, but you just yell something about exhaustion. It might be hard to believe with your pace, but oh well.

You make it to your hotel room in record time. The receptionist recognizes you, so you don’t even have to stop to flash your badge. The room isn’t homey in the least, but it is exactly what you need: someplace quiet and free of people.

You barely have time finish slipping on comfy clothes when there is a gentle knock at the door. You consider ignoring it, but decide it will be best to just get it over with.

Spencer stands at the door, looking a little embarrassed. “Hey, Y/N, can we talk?”

“I’m really tired, Spence. Can this wait until morning?”

“I guess the talk can wait, but I need to look at your shoulder.”

You let out a huge sigh of frustration. “I’m fine,  _ Doctor _ .” You are feeling vulnerable. You want nothing more than to ask Spencer to hold you, to keep you company in the dark. Him being in your room isn’t helping you resist these urges.

“I saw you hit the wall. It looked pretty painful, even if it wasn’t in the moment. You also used the same side to tackle the unsub. Please, let me help.”

“I’ll just sleep it off.”

“It better to work it out a bit before sleep. People sometimes clench their muscles in their sleep. This can lead to tightness, which will exacerbate the problem. You could wake up more sore tomorrow.”

You find yourself smiling. Spencer is really sweet, and you are almost always happy to listen to one of his rambles, but his concern is too much for you. You find yourself wanting to wrap your arms around him, hold him close to you. See, this is exactly why you had tried to ignore him earlier. You knew you would be a little bit weakened, enough to let your resolve fall. It was too late now. You wanted his help now, and there was no willpower left to hide it from him.

“Fine, what do you suggest?”

“A heating pad to warm the area, then gentle stretching,” he says.

“Do you have a heating pad? Because I sure as hell don’t.”

“No, I don’t. This would be so much easier if we were in D.C. I have a heating pad at home.”

“You don’t bring one in your go bag?”

“I never remember to pack it. It’s buried somewhere.”

“That settles that then,” you say, sitting on the bed, “I guess I will sleep it off.”

“No, no, that might make it worse.”

“What other option is there.”

“We should find you a masseuse!”

You raise an eyebrow at him. “At 10:30 at night? We aren’t in Vegas, Spence.”

He frowns, thinking. “I could help, if you want. I’m not licensed, but I’ve read a lot about it.”

You can’t help but laugh. “You have read a lot about massage?”

“Well, some. Most of my knowledge is of anatomy, which they do teach in massage classes, and kinesiology, how the body moves. I read a couple books on massage specifically, because I was curious.”

It does sound tempting, you have to admit. Spencer’s warm fingers on your body, or at least a part of it. “Yeah, sure. It’s better than my plan.”

“To sleep it off?”

“To ignore it until it goes away.” Spencer’s horrified face makes you laugh again. “So, how do you want to do this?”

“My understanding is that shoulder massage is best done while the recipient is upright. So I’ll go behind you. Is that alright?”

“Yeah, that’s good with me.”

You try to relax and he crawls across the bed to you. Spencer doesn’t know anything about how you feel. He is just doing this as a friend. You just have to remember that.

He gently places his hands on your shoulder. They are warm and soft, and this helps you relax. He feels your body uncoil, and begins gently stroking the shoulder. Not enough to stretch, just enough to get the blood flowing. It feels wonderful.

As your shoulder warms, he begins to add pressure, slowly and carefully. Little by little, the soreness eases under his tender ministrations. You feel exhaustion begin to overtake you, and you can’t fight it. As the last of the pain is rubbed away, you fall sideways. The last thing you feel is Spencer catching as you fall asleep.

\---

You wake with something under and over you. “Wha…?” you mumble, trying to escape the unknown containment.

“Y/N?” Spencer whispers.

It all comes back. You must have trapped him when you fell, and he was too kind to risk waking you. You free yourself from his grasp and stretch. “Oh, hey, Spencer. Thanks for the help, I feel  _ much _ better. Sorry for passing out and trapping you.”

“I didn’t mind…” he murmurs. To you, it seems like he enjoyed you being in his arms...

You assume he is still sleepy, so you don’t ask about his tone. “I feel better about what the unsub said too. I think I really just needed to get some sleep.”

“Mmhmm…” Spencer hums, barely moving.

Dammit, he is still asleep, and he is lying across the bed the wrong way from when you passed out. You can’t kick him out, and you don’t know where his room is. “Alright, Spencer. If you are going to spend the night, you need to move.”

You push at his shoulders, and he weakly helps you turn him so that he is the right way on the bed. Thankfully, you have a queen, plenty of space for two. You can’t think of a way to get him under the covers, so you decide he doesn’t need them.

You pull a pillow out the covers and curl up on the bed. Spencer’s arm winds around your waist, and you freeze for a moment. He is breathing deeply behind you. If he isn’t a sleep, he is going to be soon. What’s the harm in relishing this gift? You scoot closer to him, and are rewarded with his arm tightening around you, drawing you close. You snuggle into his warm body, and whisper, “Goodnight, Spence.”

He doesn’t reply.

\---

The next morning is less confusing for you. You remember all the events that led to your current position.

Spencer, however, doesn’t seem to remember. He yawns and stretches, pulling his arm off you. You’re glad that he can’t see your disappointment. Secret gift over. “Y/N? What? What are you doing in my- Oh, what am I doing in your room?”

“Sore shoulder?” you offer.

“Oh. Oh! Right, yes. Must have fallen asleep after you trapped me.” He laughs.

“Yeah, sorry about that.”

“Oh, it wasn’t a problem. I was happy to help. Is your shoulder still sore?”

“Not anymore. Thank you.”

“Glad to hear it.”

You uncurl yourself from your sleeping position, and turn to watch him start for the door. “Wait, Spencer?”

He pauses, fingers a breath away from the handle. “Yes?”

“You’re quite the cuddler, aren’t you?” This is your best chance to test the waters, before he pretends it never happened.

His entire body stiffens, and his hand trembles right about the doorknob. “I, uh, you trapped my arm?”

You walk towards him. “I like cuddlers…”

He turns to face you, still taut, but you can see a glimmer of hope in his eyes. “Oh?”

You wrap your arms around him, squeezing his middle a little. “Very much so.”

His body tightens in your grasp. You start to pull away, afraid you have gone too far, but he embraces you, holding you close to him.


End file.
